Platonic Questioning and Socratic Love
by Kaiser Wilhelm
Summary: I'd heard of bonding over dinner before, but never bonding over poison. Well, that was before Neji and I were stuck in a deep, dark cave after a life-threatening mission. I never thought of Neji the way I did that day until I'd almost lost him.


***Rated T for active Shika swearing. Damn straight. I also listened to copious amounts **_**Chicago**_** while writing the hospital scene. So if Shika rips off his hospital gown to reveal a very skimpy, lace outfit, you know why (Someone should totally draw that. That'd be hilarious!) Anyway, this is something I've been on and off working on for a couple months. Since May I'd say…wow. That took me a long time, right? Well, I'm finally back in school for my final year. That's right, Kaiser's a senior and will be released into society very soon. Run! I hope I still have time left to write. I'm just your typical New Trier student. 4 APs, co-heading 2 clubs, college apps, and lots more fun stuff. Hopefully, I'll get out of this suburban hell-hole alive, but I shouldn't get my hopes up. Also…I can't hold a girlfriend. Damn, my personally life sucks! Well, I guess I can still marry my reviewers…and my art. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed writing this, I hope you guys enjoy reading it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything I happen to mention in this fic. Especially Naruto. **

**Disclaimer #2: If we offend, it is with our goodwill./ That you should think we come not to offend,/ But with goodwill. To show our simple skill,/ That is the true beginning of our end./ Consider, then, we come but in despite./ We do not come, as minding to content you,/ Our true intent is. All for your delight/ We are not here. That you should here repent you,/ The actors are at hand, and by their show,/ You shall know all that you are like to know. – **_**A Midsummer Night's Dream **_**(5.1…this is my generic oneshot disclaimer)**

Breathing. Ragged breathing. I watched as that chest shook and quivered with every shallow, harsh breath. The situation was already bad, but it seemed to be getting worse with every passing moment. Neji was in peril, and I wondered if he could even make it through the night in this condition.

The poison. I may be a supposed genius, but I'm no medic. I only had general antidotes with me, mostly used for snake and spider bites, not heavy metals poisoning (at least, I'm assuming that's what this is). I don't carry around anything that could possibly neutralize poison this advanced. I'm no Sakura. I can't whip out a complex antivenom from my supplies, nor can I make one from scratch. I'd already done the only thing I could: I sent a message to the village asking for assistance.

We really were in a bind. It was a two-man mission, and no one said it would be easy. Still, I wasn't expecting this. Neji was poisoned by a puppet-user before he took the guy out, while I was handling another nin, who managed to break my leg. If only I had been more careful! I could have taken out that shinobi, relatively intact, and carried Neji back to Konoha where he could get proper treatment. Alas, no. I had to be an idiot and get distracted enough to get my leg broken. Some genius I am.

I looked over to the poisoned Hyuuga. Here we were in a cave, waiting for help to arrive. We had a fire going (I had managed to shrug off the pain enough to forage for firewood), and though it was warm, I could see Neji shivering. His fever was rising. That troublesome Hyuuga was far too proud to even consider letting me care for him. No, once we had found the cave, he had collapsed in his own corner, his back to me. His long brown hair had fallen out of its tie (just as mine had), blocking most of his body from view, but I was sure that were I to see his face, he would be pale as a ghost.

The softest of moans escaped him. Now, I haven't worked with Neji that often, but I know that he's not the type to show anything that he would consider to be weakness (moaning included). For him to be moaning and shivering, the Hyuuga must have been very ill indeed.

I let out a sigh. "Neji," I began sternly, sounding quite unlike myself. "Come over here. You're in no condition to be by yourself." I tried to sound calm and collected, like a real team leader, but my voice betrayed my true anxiety.

"I-I'm fine," Neji managed. His voice was high, dreamy. I didn't like this one bit.

"No your not. You're the sickest I've ever seen you. Now, get over here." I swear, that Hyuuga was going to be the end of me. He shook his head weakly.

"Really, th-this is nothing." Again I sighed, this time in frustration. I rolled my eyes, having only one option left. I rummaged through our supplies, found a spare blanket, and trudged over to him. Gingerly, I turned him over. It was worse than I thought.

Hyuuga Neji looked like death warmed over.

He was paler than moonlight, pasty, sickly. His silvery eyes were glazed over with dark circles underneath. He had abandoned breathing through his nose, his chapped lips, slightly parted, were sucking in breath after breath, but still, he seemed to feel no relief.

As gently as possible, I pulled him into my lap, hoping it would soothe him some.

"What are you doing?" he managed, weakly struggling against me.

"Trying to make you more comfortable, now calm down." His head was now in my lap, his opalescent eyes gazing warily up at me. I draped the spare blanket over him. "Better?" He said nothing at first, merely closed his eyes seeming oddly content. His breathing slowed a bit.

After a moment, he murmured, "Shikamaru, you're so warm." Even so, he was still shivering like mad. Then, with a soft "Oh," he swooned, head rolling onto its side.

At this, I panicked. "Neji?" I began to shake him. "Neji! Stay with me." He lazily opened his eyes. "Try to stay awake until help arrives. We don't know what kind of poison this is; it could be worse if you sleep."

" 'M so tired," he managed to slur out softly. I forced him into a sitting position. Now, his head was buried in the crook of my neck, his body limp like a ragdoll. The poor guy could barely keep his eyes open. "Sh-Shikamaru?" he called weakly. His body was shivering even more than before. Unable to think of anything better to do, I wrapped my arms around him, along with the blanket.

"Yeah," I responded, sounding almost meek.

"Where are we?" This was getting insane. He was so disoriented that he couldn't even remember finding the cave. I had had to help him along, but he had still been running, still fighting, very much aware. Now, he didn't even seem like Neji anymore. I absentmindedly pet his hair.

"We're in a cave. I sent for help. We'll be fine." That would be me trying to reassure the both of us. I don't know what Neji was thinking, but it certainly didn't make me feel any better. "Do you remember the fight at all?" I asked softly, hoping that if I talked to him, it would help him stay awake. He made a sound halfway between a moan and a groan.

"Parts of it," he whispered. There was a silence. It was tense, but not in an awkward way. I felt oddly comfortable with Neji; the tension was mostly from my worry for him. Neji shifted slightly in my lap, and I was strangely relieved at the fact that he was moving. This was bad. I could feel how warm he was whenever his bare skin touched mine. No doubt about it, Neji was dying. I was reminded of our first mission together. Back when we were still genin. The Sasuke-retrieval mission. He was dying then too.

"I always seem to get you into trouble, don't I?" I chuckled nervously. "You were in bad shape then too, weren't you? God, I was so worried—about all of you—Choji, Naruto, Kiba, and you. But you'll pull through; you're strong." Neji blinked lazily, looking up at me with a curious expression.

"You're strong too, you know," he murmured. I simply shook my head.

"You must be delirious." He smiled softly, genuinely.

"No, I mean it. You're smart _and_ strong, a deadly combination. It's enough to make me feel insecure sometimes." I raised an eyebrow, thinking that he must be joking, but there was no sarcasm in Neji's voice. "People always called me a genius," he continued quietly, staring at the cave floor. His voice was high and dreamy, also a bit hoarse; at the time, I couldn't help but notice how cute he sounded. "I'm no genius. I pick things up quickly is all. Now, you on the other hand, you're a true genius. You're smarter than all the Anbu captains combined if you ask me." I stared blankly ahead, in shock at what I was hearing. From the stoic, cold Hyuuga prodigy no less! Nevertheless, I found myself smiling.

"So, are you normally this sweet," I began jokingly, "or is this just the poison talking?" He chuckled softly, followed by another drawn out silence. This one was not as tense, at first, but soon enough, I noticed something that set off alarm bells in my mind. Neji had been leaning forward instead of sideways, to keep most of his weight off of me, but as this silence drew on, I realized that he had started leaning on me more and more, now his body seemed limp against mine, as if he could not keep his own weight up. "Neji?" I called hesitantly, hoping desperately for a response.

"Mmmn," was the slurred reply. Now I was scared. I placed a hand on his forehead, and immediately, I knew what the problem was.

"Shit," I hissed. "Neji, you're burning up! Dammit!" I wasn't usually one to swear so much, but, hell, I was worried. Unable to think of anything else, I grabbed a canteen from the pockets of my chuunin vest and lifted it to Neji's lips. Most of the water dripped out from the corner of the brunette's mouth, but it seemed like he got some of it down. I wiped the water off of his chin with the back of my hand. Strangely, I found myself holding him tightly against my body. His face was buried in the crook of my neck. He somehow felt hot and clammy at the same time. "Neji, come on, say something," I began, quieter this time. "Let me know that you're okay." There was no response. He didn't even stir. "Neji, speak to me." Nothing. "Neji! Neji! Wake up!" Silence. "Nonononononono, don't do this to me, Neji! I can't lose you too! I can't lose another person on a mission! Please! Stay with me! This is all my fault! I'm your captain; I'm supposed to keep you safe. Please! Don't leave me like Asuma! _Goddammit_!!"

"Mmm, so sorry," he managed. The brunette spoke as though he had been talking in his sleep. "Can't stay awake…" I clutched him like the world around us was burning.

"Please, Neji, you can do this. What can I do? Please, I'll do anything!" Neji managed to open his eyes just a bit. His iris shone a bright opalescent light, almost like a wolf's.

"Do you miss him?" Neji whispered suddenly. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words would form. I merely stared at him, perplexed. "Asuma, I mean." I closed my eyes and let out a deep sigh.

"Yes, he was like a father to me." Neji nodded, eyes barely open but never leaving mine. He rested his head on my shoulder, looking rather exhausted.

"I thought you had a father," he murmured softly. I shrugged.

"I do, but he's kind of an ass." It was odd; I never let anyone get me talking. Even Choji has a hard time. Still, with Neji looking up at me with those dazed but warm eyes, I couldn't help myself. The words just came out, as if I was under a spell.

"Shikamaru?" I smiled. Normally, I hate it when someone calls my name like that; it implies that they want something from me, which undoubtedly is troublesome. Neji was different; he had a way of being the least and most troublesome person alive at the same time. He was stubborn, troublesome. He was sweet, not-so-troublesome. He tried to get me talking, troublesome. He listened intently and sincerely, not-so-troublesome.

"Yeah?" I answered, showing no irritation, as I felt none.

"Tell me about yourself." It was that dreamy tone of his. Somehow, I found it to be adorable. I gave him a smile before he curled closer to me.

"All right," I answered without really thinking. "But you have to promise to stay awake, even if it's boring." Neji chuckled at that, odd behavior.

"I promise." He was so cute when he wasn't being a pain. He was gentle and sweet when he wanted to be. He had a strange air about him. It was almost innocent in a way, like a child. I wondered if I had walked out of the battlefield with a different person. But when his overheated bare skin touched mine, it snapped me out of that train of thought. He was still Neji, and Neji was still poisoned.

I sighed, deciding to humour him, and "tell him about myself." I groaned out a soft "troublesome."

"Well, I was born in Konoha. My life didn't suck that bad. I have a troublesome family, but they're there. My dad's an ass, and my mom's a harpy, but they're alive. They raised me right-ish. I'm a lazy bastard, but I know the difference between right and wrong. I like strategy games and clouds. And…I kind of suck at this, don't I?" Neji didn't respond at first, but I could feel him smile into my collar.

"A bit," he whispered finally. I sighed, not entirely sure how to respond.

"Well…is there anything in particular that you want to know?" Neji paused; he seemed to be deep in thought.

"Are you afraid of anything?" My eyes widened at that. I never expected something like that. It seemed…too personal, and yet I found myself trusting Neji, more than I'd ever trusted anyone before. Plus, who knew what he'd remember when his fever broke? Maybe nothing.

"I guess…well, I'm not too fond of death, but I don't fear it more than I should. Pain isn't exactly fun either, but if I didn't feel it, well, I wouldn't be human. That's a scary thought actually. I know my limits; I know my strengths. I'm smarter than your average shinobi, so if I ever…lost my ability to empathize, who knows what kind of damage I could do? Yeah, I guess that's a big fear. Losing my humanity and my sanity." I paused for a few moments, deep in thought.

"I almost did once, you know." My voice had quieted. It was low, dark, almost sad in a way. "When Asuma died, I…I went a little crazy. I felt dizzy with emotion, and yet…and yet, I felt like I couldn't understand anyone anymore. It was foreign, different. I became a new species. No one could understand me, and I couldn't understand anyone else, not even Choji or Ino. I lied around the house, just looking at the ceiling. It was strangely comforting, but only just a bit. Then, my dad and I played shogi, and that ass broke the dam. I cried—no, I didn't just cry. I sobbed. I wept. I screamed. I felt like grief embodied. There was nothing else inside me, just that. Raw emotion in its oldest form: mourning." I found myself wanting to clutch at my chest, hoping that somehow that action would numb the pain. Neji shifted in my arms, letting out a soft sigh. I felt his soft cheek against my chest, and that made me feel better, if only just a little.

"I wish it had stayed like that," I murmured suddenly. Neji met my eyes; I could tell he was confused. I elaborated, "I wish it had just stayed mourning, but it didn't. It was almost like—I felt—something dark awoke in me that day. My grief turned to rage. My sorrow became vengeance. Worst of all, my mourning grew into hatred. I wanted more than anything to make that Akatsuki member pay, and I did. I made him suffer not only for what he did to Asuma, but also for what he did to me. I tormented him, and I enjoyed every minute of it. But as soon as I realized that, I was terrified by what I'd become. I was in a place that was cold and dark and desolate once my revenge was complete. It was horrible, but I still felt a sickening carnal _joy_ at what I'd done to him. It makes me want to vomit just thinking about it. Yeah, that's what my worst fear is, becoming _that_ again." Neji said nothing. I wondered if he was disgusted with me. I wouldn't be surprised, but the thought of him being repulsed by me hurt, a lot. The minutes that passed seemed like hours upon hours. My heart hurt. I had to know. Would he ever speak to me again? I just couldn't take anymore of this silence. It was tearing me apart.

"Neji-" He kissed me, just like that. It was fervent and needy, passionate but still weak with sickness. It didn't last for long, but I swear my lips tingled for days afterwards. I felt the weirdest sensation of my mouth watering, as well as the ache in my groin. Troublesome hormones. He tasted ambrosial. He tasted like Neji, the best taste on Earth in my opinion. We parted, both breathing heavily (him more than me), and he collapsed back into my arms, his weight once again supported by me.

Neither of us said anything at first. It seemed he had used all of his energy on that kiss. I hoped to god that he wasn't sleeping; that could be bad. I leaned down inhaling the sweet scent of Neji's hair. It was a unique odor, derived from a tough mission, fever, and traces of shampoo from the last time he had showered.

"Shikamaru?" I gently placed a kiss on his forehead, quieting him.

"You'd better not die after a kiss like that, Neji," I began simply. "You kissed me, so now you owe me one troublesome date."

"Why troublesome?" He snuggled his way closer to me, nuzzling my neck lightly. I could still feel him shivering from his fever, so I wrapped the blanket tighter around him.

"Because I'll have to pay for it." He beamed, kissing my neck.

"We'll go Dutch." I gently tucked a soft lock of coffee brown hair behind his ear.

"Great. It's a date, then." We fell back into a warm, comfortable silence. Still, after a few minutes of more of silence from Neji, I began to worry. I hoped that he was still awake. "Neji?" I called softly.

"But, Mom, I don't wanna go to school today," he joked. I chuckled in response.

"I swear to God, Neji, you're just lucky you're cute."

"Or else what?"

"Or else I'd have to kill you."

"Oh, you love me too much to kill me."

"But I don't love you too much to sock you one."

"You wouldn't really hit a guy who's poisoned, would you?"

"I would."

"Oh, Shikamaru, you charmer, you." I had nothing more to say, but I did enjoy the fact that we bickered more than Beatrice and Benedick, or Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy (him being the chick in both cases). Even so, I could tell that he was wearing down. His eyes were tired, sickly. I was sure he was in a lot of pain.

"How're you feeling?" I asked softly. My tone changed from playful to gentle and serious.

"Not so good," he answered truthfully. I was glad, in a way. I didn't like the fact that he wasn't feeling well, but I did like that he felt comfortable enough around me to reveal his "weakness." I kissed his forehead again.

"Anything I can do to help?" He smiled, looking up at me with a sweet expression.

"Will you lie down with me?" I shook my head fondly. How could I refuse that face?

"Of course. Here…" I moved him to the floor, careful to avoid my aching broken leg. He unwrapped himself from the blanket, as I lay down next to him. Next thing I knew, the two of us were sharing a blanket, Neji tucked cozily under my neck.

My leg was hurting pretty bad at this point, and I was exhausted. Neji was probably worse of than me. Still, I was stupid enough to doze off for a moment, only a moment for I was quickly awoken by Neji's ragged breathing. I snapped awake, immediately looking at the poor overheated figure in my arms.

"Neji?" I called hesitantly, truly frightened. He was shaking like mad, drenched in sweat. His eyes were clenched shut, boiling once-pale flesh now pink with fever. He just kept gasping for breath, seeming to get no relief. "Shit! Shit!" I hissed. "Goddammit! I'm so fucking stupid!" I would have berated myself more, but then I felt Neji grab onto my shirt with weak, trembling hands. He whimpered softly. "Oh God, Neji," I murmured. I pulled him close, clutching him tightly against me. "Come on, Nej; hang in there. We'll get through this." He moaned, thrashing and struggling to get away from me, but he was weak from the poison, so I had no trouble holding him. "Oh, God, Neji! What should I do? Goddammit!" Neji began to struggle more fervently. It escalated to the point of him biting deeply into my shoulder. I winced but continued to hold him, stroking his hair, lightly. "Shhh, Nej, it's just me," I comforted him as best I could. "It's just Shikamaru. No one's gonna hurt you. We'll be all right. Shhhh." He calmed, relaxing in my arms, though he was still shivering something awful.

"Sh…ka…mru," he mumbled, settling down somewhat. Hearing him talk did not ease my worry much, but it was good to know that he was at least semi-conscious.

"That's it. Shhh. You're doing great. It'll all be over soon." We were quiet after this. I knew that talking to him would probably help some, but truth be told, I had nothing to say. He probably could not stay awake anymore, so I just had to hope that sleep would help more than hurt. My brain was functioning at the most instinctual level. All that I could be sure of was that Neji, someone that I held dear, was in trouble, and I had to do something about it. I heard a sharp gasp followed by a softer gurgling. My eyes widened. I pulled away from Neji to check him over. Gently, I brushed a soft lock of coffee brown hair out of his face, revealing a thick line of red dripping from his mouth.

Neji was coughing up blood.

"Shit," was all that I cared to say. I bit my lip, and I was certain that were anyone to scrutinize my expression, it would have been terrified with hints of incredible anxiety.

I looked from him to my broken leg, then back to him, and again to the leg. I sighed, knowing what I had to do. This was going to be the most troublesome thing I've ever done, but it was for a worthy cause. I could only hope that the endorphins would kick in, getting me high enough that I could shrug off the pain, and that Neji would survive this to give me one well-deserved make-out session when we returned to Konoha.

I hoisted myself up, pulling Neji, blanket and all, into my arms and gritting my teeth when the agony of putting my weight on the bad leg first hit me. I swear to God, I almost bit my tongue in half. I ripped off the lining of my chuunin vest with my teeth, and quickly swallowed all of the soldier pills stored there. The adrenaline would be enough to numb the pain some. I grabbed our bags, and then, I was off.

The pain was not as bad as I thought. Oh no, it was much, much worse. I ran at top speed, holding back my screams of agony every time my foot touched the ground. The chemicals in my body reached their peak levels. Adrenaline, endorphins, and hell, probably dopamine and serotonin (as I said before, I'm no medic-nin), all rushed through my nerves, jumpstarting my brain, bringing the pain levels down. Still, I felt as though my leg was ripping off, slowly but surely. I wouldn't have been surprised if it had been dislocated. I was running off of soldier pills and neurotransmitters; things like that didn't seem to matter anymore. All that did was that Neji got to Konoha to be treated in time. With that thought in mind, I ran faster.

Neji wasn't doing much better than me. Traveling extremely fast on very jerky, unsteady legs seemed to make his fever worse (be that possible). Still, I kept running, hoping to God that he would make it. In fact, we started to pass into forest area, the trees getting steadily taller. I was starting to feel hopeful; we had made it to Ho no Kuni. Well, at least, that's how I had felt before he began to convulse.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" I cried, pumping all of my substance-induced chakra into my legs. _Faster. Faster. Faster!_ I couldn't reach the village swiftly enough. I was breathing like an old man with emphysema. So was Neji, incidentally. I was so jittery and jacked up on hormones and supplements that I started seeing stars. In fact, I had absolutely no idea where I was going. I just kept running, assuming that if I just kept going in one direction, I was bound to get to Konoha eventually. But eventually wasn't soon enough. Neji needed help _now_. And so did I. My hallucinations seemed to be getting worse as instead of just stars, I was also seeing flashed of pink, yellow, and silver coming towards us fast.

Though, I didn't realize that it wasn't a hallucination until Team Kakashi was right in front of us, talking to me.

"Shikamaru-kun!"

"Neji!"

I probably looked like a maniac, smiling like I did. But hell, I was high and incredible happy since I knew that we were now officially saved. Still, my smile soon fell as Neji let out a particularly painful gasp. I handed him to Kakashi with shaky hands.

"P-p-please." I don't think I'd ever stuttered so much in my entire life. I probably sounded something like Hinata. "H-help h-h-h-him." Then, my vision began to fade. My eyes rolled back into my head, and I swooned. The last things I heard were Naruto and Sakura's simultaneous cries of "Shika!" and "Shikamaru-kun!!" And my world faded and became a swirl of dark and nothing.

My mind awoke before my body. I felt warm, so warm, but not in a good way. It was too hot, overheated. My body would not respond, not even my eyelids, let alone my limbs. I was laying on something soft, but sturdy, and my head and legs were killing me. Hell, my whole body was aching. The air was crisp, smelling distinctly of disinfectant. I wanted nothing more than to just go back to sleep, but words kept assaulting my ears.

"Will he wake up soon?" A familiar female voice.

"It's hard to say." Another familiar female voice. Both sounded around the same age. "He's done quite a number on himself. His leg was in shambles when he found us. I'm surprised we didn't have to amputate it. I can't even imagine what we would've done if Shishou and Shizune-sempai weren't here. I mean, even without the leg he's got severe exhaustion, exposure, overdose, temporary (at least I hope it's temporary) psychosis, oh…and a head cold."

"A head cold?"

"A head cold." A sigh.

"Can't we at least take those restraints off him?" There was a pause. The other was thinking.

"…I'd love to, Ino-chan, but we can't be sure of his mental state. You should've seen him when he woke up on the way back. He nearly scalped Naruto! And in his condition, no less. Kakashi-sensei had to use his Sharingan just to restrain him! Why didn't you ever tell me that he was so formidable?"

"He doesn't show it much, but if he ever went missing-nin on us; he'd probably be a lot more trouble than Sasuke-kun, I can tell ya that. You saw how he handled that Akatsuki member after…Asuma-sensei…Shikamaru, normally, he wouldn't hurt a fly, but when he snaps, he's…terrifying. Like a totally different person. Shikamaru's darker side is the most ruthless person I've ever met." Again, the other person remained silent. "But don't think of him any differently. I've known him my whole life (almost sixteen years), and I've only seen that side of him once. He's still just…Shikamaru. That lazy-ass super-genius and a great friend."

"Yeah." I couldn't understand a word they were saying, but for some reason, that conversation sent me on an emotional roller-coaster. From indifferent, to confused, to depressed, and finally contented. It was just one of those things I suppose.

"Are you sure you don't know when he'll wake up?"

"Well…we gave him some pretty powerful pain-killers. You know as well as I do how drowsy those make a patient. And considering how drowsy he normally is…Even when he does wake up, he'll be pretty out-of-it, but I'd say there's a chance that he'll be relatively awake within the hour."

"Okay, in that case, I'll see if Choji's back from his mission yet, and then come back."

"I'll walk you out." I heard their footsteps echoing as they left the room. The door shut. Maybe now, I could get some sleep.

Apparently not, as I heard another set of footsteps echoing as my door opened again. However, these noises were as quiet as possible, surreptitious. Even while high on pain-killers, I could figure out that whoever this was, wasn't supposed to be there. The footsteps were silent to the untrained ear. I had a trained ear, but a slipping consciousness, so I heard the footsteps but didn't bother to wonder what they meant. At this point, all that I wanted was to slip into a coma and wake up once my injuries were fully healed, but I had a feeling that I'd be worrying a hell of a lot of people if I did that. But then again, if you have to slip into a coma, you have to slip into a coma, right?

I never got the opportunity though, as at that moment, the bed dipped with the weight of another person. They sat at the very edge, as not to disturb me. This person smelled nice. I wanted to open my eyes to stare at the beauty, who I imagined smelled this wonderful, but I was definitely pretty paralyzed.

The person just sat there for a while, watching me "sleep." Well, I couldn't be sure, but I swear I could feel very intense eyes gazing at me. Finally, they spoke: "Baka," whispered the person in a soft, hoarse voice; still, it was music to my ears. The bed shifted a bit as he (definitely a male voice) moved closer. "Baka," he repeated. Then, gentle, delicate lips kissed my forehead ever-so-lightly. I was giddy, at this point. Apparently, an angel had taken to me. He began to stroke my hair. It felt so nice. "Shikamaru," he called. I fell in love with the way my name just rolled off his tongue. "What can I do to make you wake up?" Kissing me again wouldn't hurt. "I…I can't believe you went through all this just to save me. I'm going to have to make it up to you somehow." It was about then that it hit me; my angelic friend was none other than Hyuuga Neji.

My eyes managed to open slightly. Everything was so bright. Whiter than sunlight. I tried to say, "Well, you could make-out with me for starters." But it just came out as "Mmmmmn." Apparently, my mouth didn't get the memo on that whole I'm awake thing. Neji said nothing, surprised at my response, but after a moment, he chuckled and began kissing my face in various places.

"Welcome back," he murmured. My blurry eyes cleared to reveal the beauty that was Neji. His normally icy, white eyes were now warm with kindness and worry. His juin seal was hidden from me by bandages, but his hair was loose and strewn about him. His lovely pale skin was covered with a hospital gown; he was recovering too. Neji noticed my gaze scrutinizing his body, but he just smiled. It was stunning, dazzling. My love interest was drop-dead gorgeous. "How're you feeling?" he asked softly.

"You're eyes are so pretty and white…like clouds," I slurred, my mouth forming words without my brain's consent. Neji seemed to notice my odd behavior. He seemed shocked at first, but then noted the IV drip filled with pain-killers. Once he was assured that my strange utterance was caused by the medication, he chuckled, gently pecking my forehead again.

"You know, you're pretty adorable when you're high." He pulled my head into his lap, continuing to play with my hair. I snuggled against him.

"You know, you're pretty adorable when you're Neji." Again, he chuckled, this time bending down to kiss me full on the lips. It was just as incredible as the time first time we kissed, in the cave, except our positions were reversed. I could swear that one kiss from his soft, wonderful, supple lips could have me seeing stars…or that could've been the pain-killers. Either way, the moment was absolutely perfect. Nothing could ruin it, not even a nurse randomly walking in on us.

"So, get better soon and take me on that date. Then, we can do some more of this." I didn't respond; I was half-asleep. I was ODing on pain-killers and lying in the lap of the most breathtaking person on earth; I'd like to see you try to stay awake.

"…Love you," I mumbled, before curling up and falling asleep. Had I stayed awake a bit longer, I would've gotten to see that magnificent smile one more time, before falling into a drug/Neji-induced, dreamless sleep.

*** And there you have it. I hope you guys enjoyed! See you guys next time (hopefully I'll actually be updating something soon). __**


End file.
